Steve Jobs receives an infusion of cash from venture capitalists Don Valentine and Mike Markkula, pictured here, to start Apple in the 1970's.

Photo: Courtesy Of Zeitgeist Films, Something Ventured

Steve Jobs receives an infusion of cash from venture capitalists...

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Apple Computer, Inc., announced the start of the first shipment of 9,000 computers to virtually every school in the state of California in a massive giveaway aimed at promoting "computer literacy" in the primary and secondary schools. The first and millionth produced were given to the Sunnyvale School District. Owen Whetzel, president of the school board, left, takes a close look at the computer. Steve Wozniak, co-founder, center, and Steve Jobs, Chairman of the board of Apple Computer, Inc. is at right.

Photo: Courtesy, UPI 1983

Apple Computer, Inc., announced the start of the first shipment of...

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Steve Jobs shows off the Macintosh personal computer in 1984. "Every creative person that I have ever met and admired always worked on a Mac," an artist says.

Photo: Paul Sakuma

Steve Jobs shows off the Macintosh personal computer in 1984....

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Steve Jobs (left) with bow tie and John Sculley at the Apple Computers annual meeting on January 24, 1984.

Photo: Cap Carpenter, AP

Steve Jobs (left) with bow tie and John Sculley at the Apple...

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John Sculley (left) and Steve Jobs of Apple Computers speak at a press conference following the annual shareholders meeting on Jan. 23, 1985.

Photo: Chris Stewart, The Chronicle

John Sculley (left) and Steve Jobs of Apple Computers speak at a...

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In this April 24, 1984 file photo, Steve Jobs, left, chairman of Apple Computers, John Sculley, center, then president and CEO, and Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, unveil the new Apple IIc computer in San Francisco. Apple Inc. on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011 said Jobs is resigning as CEO, effective immediately. He will be replaced by Tim Cook, who was the company's chief operating officer. It said Jobs has been elected as Apple's chairman.

Photo: Sal Veder, AP

In this April 24, 1984 file photo, Steve Jobs, left, chairman of...

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Apple co-founder Steve Jobs poses for a portrait on September 21, 1985

Photo: Steve Ringman, SF Chronicle File

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs poses for a portrait on September 21,...

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Personal computer pioneer Steve Jobs guestures during a news conference in San Francisco introducing his Next Computer Workstation.

Photo: DOUG MENUEZ

Personal computer pioneer Steve Jobs guestures during a news...

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Steve Jobs demonstrated the versatility of the NEXT system computers at Fort Mason in San Francisco, Calif., on March 30, 1989.

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

Steve Jobs demonstrated the versatility of the NEXT system...

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In this March 30, 1989, file photo, Steve Jobs of NeXT Computer Inc., displays his NeXT computer during a public demonstration in San Francisco.

Photo: Paul Sakuma, AP

In this March 30, 1989, file photo, Steve Jobs of NeXT Computer...

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In this March 30, 1989, file photo, Steve Jobs of NeXT Computer Inc., left, and David Norman, president of Businessland, pose beside a NeXT work station in San Francisco.

Photo: Paul Sakuma, AP

In this March 30, 1989, file photo, Steve Jobs of NeXT Computer...

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In this April 4, 1991, file photo, Steve Jobs of NeXT Computer Inc. poses for the press with his NeXTstation color computer at the NeXT facility in Redwood City.

Photo: Ben Margot, Associated Press

In this April 4, 1991, file photo, Steve Jobs of NeXT...

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Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computers, is shown in this 1993 file photo.

Photo: KRISTY MAC DONALD

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computers, is shown in this 1993...

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Steven P. Jobs, shown in this 1993 photo, became a billionaire Wednesday, Nov. 29, 1995, when a small digital studio he bought nine years ago went public to a storm of investor demand. In its first trading day, investors gave Pixar Animation Studios, the company that made the current No. 1 movie ``Toy Story,'' a market value of $1.46 billion. Jobs, who is Pixar's president, owns 80 percent of its 37.4 million outstanding shares.

Photo: Kristy MacDonald, AP

Steven P. Jobs, shown in this 1993 photo, became a billionaire...

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Steve Jobs, Chairman and CEO of NeXT computer, fielded questions on August 11, 1994.

Steve Jobs, Chairman and chief executive officer of NeXT Software, Inc., answers questions during the announcement of NeXT's new WebObjects suite of software products at the WebMania event, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 1996, in San Francisco.

At the MacWorld Expo trade show, Apple CEO Gil Amelio (right) and Apple founders, Steve Wozniak (left) and Steve Jobs (center) were the key note speakers at the Marriott Hotel in San Francisco on January 7, 1997.

Photo: Frederic Larson, The Chronicle

At the MacWorld Expo trade show, Apple CEO Gil Amelio (right) and...

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Apple Computer Inc. chairman Gil Amelio, left, and former co-founder and former chairman Steve Jobs appear together at the MacWorld exposition in San Francisco in this January 7, 1997 file photo. Amelio announced Wednesday, July 9, 1997, that he is resigning from Apple Computer, expanding the role of Steve Jobs in running the company.

Photo: Eric Risberg, AP

Apple Computer Inc. chairman Gil Amelio, left, and former...

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In this Jan. 7, 1997, file photo, Steve Jobs, chief executive of Pixar, speaks at the MacWorld trade show in San Francisco.

Photo: Eric Risberg, AP

In this Jan. 7, 1997, file photo, Steve Jobs, chief executive of...

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Apple Computer Inc. co-founder and current adviser Steve Jobs, background left, stands at a podium as Bill Gates, chief executive of Microsoft Corp., appears on a video screen as he addresses the MacWorld convention praising the new alliance between Apple and Microsoft Wednesday, Aug. 6, 1997, in Boston. Apple and Microsoft unveiled a stunning alliance in which Microsoft invested $150 million in Apple stock.

Photo: Julia Malakie, AP

Apple Computer Inc. co-founder and current adviser Steve Jobs,...

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Apple co-founder Steve Jobs speaks at the MacWorld Expo in Boston where he announced August 6, 1997 he will join the board of directors of the company. Jobs also announced that Microsoft will invest 150 million dollars to purchase non-voting stock in Apple forging a new allience between the two companies.

Photo: John Mottern, AFP/Getty Images

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs speaks at the MacWorld Expo in Boston...

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Steve Jobs spoke at the Seybold publishing conference '97 in front of a giant poster of Pablo Picasso, featured in Apple's new ad campaign "think different".

Photo: Tim Kao

Steve Jobs spoke at the Seybold publishing conference '97 in front...

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Steve Jobs, Apple Computer's interim CEO, shows off his company's new flat-screen monitor technology he introduced at the Publishing 98 trade show in New York, Tuesday March 17, 1998. Jobs was the show's keynote speaker of the day.

Photo: Richard Drew, AP

Steve Jobs, Apple Computer's interim CEO, shows off his company's...

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Apple Computers Inc. interim chief executive Steve Jobs unveils the the new iMac computer in Cupertino, Calif., Wednesday, May 6, 1998. The price of the new consumer model iMac.

Steve Jobs took a moment out at the Pixar offices in Richmond to relax in the queens chair used in their new animation film "A Bug's Life". on Nov. 12, 1998.

Photo: BRANT WARD

Steve Jobs took a moment out at the Pixar offices in Richmond to...

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Steve Jobs, founder and acting CEO of Apple Computer Inc., shows viewers a new consumer laptop called "iBook" during his keynote address at Macworld Expo in New York, Wednesday July 21, 1999.

Photo: Bebeto Matthews, AP

Steve Jobs, founder and acting CEO of Apple Computer Inc., shows...

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Steve Jobs at the Macworld Expo showing new "99" colors of iMac.

Photo: LIZ HAFALIA

Steve Jobs at the Macworld Expo showing new "99" colors of iMac.

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Apple Computer Inc. interim CEO Steve Jobs introduces the new iMac DV Special Edition during a presentation in Cupertino, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 5, 1999. Jobs is also seen projected on a large video screen, behind where he is sitting.

Photo: Paul Sakuma, AP

Apple Computer Inc. interim CEO Steve Jobs introduces the new iMac...

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Apple co-founder Steve Jobs announces he has dropped "interim" from his title as chief executive of Apple Computer Inc. and unveiled new Internet services and the next generation of the resurgent company's operating system Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2000, at MacWorld Expo in San Francisco. Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976 and returned to run it in September 1997.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs talks about his company's new products as an iPod television ad flashes in the background at the Macworld Conference and Expo in San Francisco Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2004.

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP

Apple CEO Steve Jobs talks about his company's new products as an...

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs delivers keynote speech at Macworld Expo in the Esplanade Ballroom at Moscone Center on January 6, 2004. Apple chief executive Steve Jobs unveiled a new version of the computer maker's popular digital music device hoping to boost market share in the lucrative niche.

Photo: Frederic Larson, The Chronicle

Apple CEO Steve Jobs delivers keynote speech at Macworld Expo in...

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs displays his company's new product, the Mini-Ipod, at the Macworld Conference and Expo in San Francisco, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2004.

Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP

Apple CEO Steve Jobs displays his company's new product, the...

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Apple CEO and co founder Steve Jobs and former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown and current mayor Gavin Newsom cut the ceremonial ribbon opening Apple Computer's flagship store in downtown San Francisco on February 28, 2004.

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

Apple CEO and co founder Steve Jobs and former San Francisco mayor...

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Apple's Steve Jobs gives a keynote address to kick off the computer company's developer conference the Moscone CenterWest in San Francisco. Job's introduces Apples new 30 inch screen monitor on June 28, 2004.

Photo: Frederic Larson, The Chronicle

Apple's Steve Jobs gives a keynote address to kick off the computer...

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Steve Jobs points out the ceiling to amazed reporters at the new Apple mini store in Stanford shopping center in Palo Alto, CA on October 14, 2004.

Photo: Chris Hardy, The Chronicle

Steve Jobs points out the ceiling to amazed reporters at the new...

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Apple's Steve Jobs gives a keynote address to kick off the computer company's developer conference the Moscone Center West in San Francisco on June 28, 2004.

Photo: Frederic Larson, The Chronicle

Apple's Steve Jobs gives a keynote address to kick off the computer...

Steve Jobs shows off the new iPod Shuffle during his keynote speech at the 2005 Macworld show on Jan. 11, 2005 in San Francisco, Calif.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Steve Jobs shows off the new iPod Shuffle during his keynote speech...

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Steve Jobs told three stories from his past to help illustrate his graduation day message on June 13, 2005. At Stanford's 114th graduation commencement, Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple and Pixar, gave the keynote speach.

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

Steve Jobs told three stories from his past to help illustrate his...

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Apple unveiled its much-anticipated video iPod on Sept. 7, 2005.

Photo: Frederic Larson, The Chronicle

Apple unveiled its much-anticipated video iPod on Sept. 7, 2005.

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Steve Jobs holds up the new iPod Nano during an announcement in San Francisco, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2005.

Photo: Paul Sakuma, AP

Steve Jobs holds up the new iPod Nano during an announcement in San...

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Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs (left) announces using the Intel processor in his keynote speech at the Moscone Center with At CEO Paul Otellini of Intel on Jan 10, 2006.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs (left) announces using the Intel...

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Walt Disney Co. CEO Robert Iger, center, talks with Pixar Animation Studios Inc. CEO Steve Jobs, left, and Pixar Executive Vice President John Lasseter at Pixar headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., Jan. 24, 2006, after Disney announced it is buying longtime partner Pixar. Just four months on the job, Iger's vision for Disney's future includes an aggressive embrace of technology that will let Disney content reach consumers via various platforms.

Apple Computer Inc. CEO Steve Jobs, right, is shown next to a 30 year old photo of himself, right, and co-founder Steve Wozniak, left, in this file photo from the MacWorld conference in San Francisco, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2006. Apple will celebrate their 30th anniversary on April 1, 2006.

Photo: PAUL SAKUMA

Apple Computer Inc. CEO Steve Jobs, right, is shown next to a 30...

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces new features in the iChat program that will be in Mac OS X Leopard, the new Mac operating system.This is at the company's Worldwide Developers conference at Moscone Center in San Francisco on August 7, 2006.

Photo: Liz Mangelsdorf, The Chronicle

Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces new features in the iChat program...

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Steve Jobs speaks to the audience wearing one of the new iPod Shuffles on his pants pocket. Apple unveils its latest iPod and iTunes upgrades and devices at a special event Tuesday, September 12, 2006, in San Francisco.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs demonstrates the new iPhone during his keynote...

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces the Apple's new iPhone during his keynote address at MacWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2007. Cisco Systems Inc. said Wednesday, that it is suing Apple Inc. in federal court over Apple's use of Cisco's registered iPhone trademark for its new handheld device. Cisco has owned the trademark on the name "iPhone" since 2000, when it acquired the company that originally registered the name, InfoGear Technology Corp.

Photo: Paul Sakuma, AP

Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces the Apple's new iPhone during his...

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs shows off the new iPhone in this file photo taken at the MacWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2007. Competitors are skeptical of Apple's claims that the iPhone is "revolutionary" and predict it will have limited market share and not achieve the mass adoption of its iPod portable music player.

Photo: Paul Sakuma, AP

Apple CEO Steve Jobs shows off the new iPhone in this file photo...

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs delivers the keynote speech at the Apple Web Developers conference at the Moscone Center on June 11, 2007 in San Francisco, California. During his keynote, Jobs demonstrated new features in the Leopard operating system that will be released in October.

Photo: David Paul Morris, The Chronicle

Apple CEO Steve Jobs delivers the keynote speech at the Apple Web...

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs is silhouetted by a video screen as he shows a new iPod video during an Apple Special event September 5, 2007 in San Francisco, California. Jobs announced a new generation of iPods as well as a partnership with Starbucks to access music being played at Starbucks coffee shops with the new iPod Touch.

Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is silhouetted by a video screen as he shows a...

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Steve Jobs unveiled the new IMac and I life program at a press conference at Apple headquarters in Cupertino this morning on August 7, 2007

Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs announces the new iPad as he speaks during an Apple Special Event at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts San Francisco on January 27, 2010.

Photo: Ryan Anson, AFP/Getty Images

Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs announces the new iPad as he speaks...

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs stands below an old image of himself in the early days of Apple Computers before introducing the iPad tablet at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Apple CEO Steve Jobs stands below an old image of himself in the...

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs walks below an image of Moses holding the Ten Commandments before unveiling the iPad tablet at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Apple CEO Steve Jobs walks below an image of Moses holding the Ten...

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Steve Jobs arrives during the 82nd Academy Awards Sunday, March 7, 2010, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles.

Photo: Matt Sayles, AP

Steve Jobs arrives during the 82nd Academy Awards Sunday, March 7,...

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This June 7, 2010 file photo shows Apple chief executive Steve Jobs as he introduces the iPhone 4 during the keynote address at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

Steve Jobs, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., talks about the iMovie application for the iPhone 4 during his keynote address at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Monday, June 7, 2010. Jobs introduced the redesigned iPhone 4 today, delivering a 24 percent thinner body and 100 new features.

Photo: David Paul Morris, Bloomberg

Steve Jobs, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., talks about the...

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In this March 2, 2011 file photo, Apple Inc. Chairman and CEO Steve Jobs speaks at an Apple event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco.

Photo: Jeff Chiu, AP

In this March 2, 2011 file photo, Apple Inc. Chairman and CEO Steve...

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Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, addresses the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference at at Moscone West in San Francisco on June 6, 2011.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, addresses the Apple Worldwide Developers...

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Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, leans his forehead against his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs, after delivering the keynote address to the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference at Moscone West in San Francisco Monday, June 6, 2011.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks at a Cupertino City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 in Cupertino, Calif. Jobs made a surprise appearance to announce plans for a major expansion. Jobs presented renderings of a proposed 150-acre campus built around a massive circular building with a heavily landscaped center. The land is currently home to Hewlett-Packard Co., which plans to move out by next year.

Photo: AP

Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks at a Cupertino City Council meeting on...

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Cover for Steve Jobs book by Walter Isaacson

Photo: Xx

Cover for Steve Jobs book by Walter Isaacson

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Candles, flowers, and an iPhone with Steve Jobs photo displayed, are seen in remembrance of Steve Jobs, founder and former CEO of Apple Inc, outside the Apple Store at West 66th Street on October 5, 2011 in New York City.Jobs, 56, passed away October 5, 2011 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976 and is credited, along with Steve Wozniak, with marketing the world's first personal computer in addition to the popular iPod, iPhone and iPad.

Photo: Andrew Burton, Getty Images

Candles, flowers, and an iPhone with Steve Jobs photo displayed,...

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Following the memorial to Steve Jobs, Apple employees removed the hundreds of sticky note messages left by well-wishers from the windows in front of the Apple store in Palo Alto, Ca., on Wednesday October 19, 2011. Apple held a private memorial for their employees, to honor the passing of their founder Steve Jobs, closing most of their retail stores for three hours.

Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle

Following the memorial to Steve Jobs, Apple employees removed the...

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The face of Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs is created with adhesive notes on the window of an Apple Store in Munich on October 18, 2011. Millions of people paid emotional tribute to Jobs, since he died on October 5, 2011 at the age of 56 after a years-long battle with cancer.

Photo: Christof Stache, AFP/Getty Images

The face of Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs is created...

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A message honoring Steve Jobs is scrawled on a blacked-out window at an Apple Store, closed for the day, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011, in Seattle. Jobs, the Apple founder and former CEO who invented and masterfully marketed ever-sleeker gadgets that transformed everyday technology, from the personal computer to the iPod and iPhone, died on Oct. 5, 2011.

Photo: Elaine Thompson, AP

A message honoring Steve Jobs is scrawled on a blacked-out window...

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Cory Moll, Apple specialist, stands outside the Apple store on Stockton Street holding an iPad displaying a tribute to Steve Jobs in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, October 5, 2011. Moll has worked at Apple for 4 years, and when he heard the news, came down to the store, creating the tribute to Jobs on the Pages application on his way there.

Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle

Cory Moll, Apple specialist, stands outside the Apple store on...

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Steve Jobs oversaw a series of hit products for Apple before he died a year ago, but not everything he did was successful.

The real bias in journalism doesn't tilt left or right, it leans toward conflict.

Which is why, since Steve Jobs' death one year ago Friday, the press has seized on any perceived Apple misstep as a sign of a new narrative taking hold: the demise of the tech giant without its visionary co-founder.

MarketWatch, Huffington Post, Time, CNBC, PC World and others have all run headlines that posed variations of the question: Has Apple lost its way?

It's an irresistible story. Apple stumbled after Jobs was elbowed out in 1985, and the company eventually reached the brink of death. His second coming as chief executive in 1997 saved Apple from extinction and transformed it into the most successful company of its day. Coupled with his remarkable turnaround of Pixar, it fed a myth of Jobsian infallibility.

But the integral assumption of any hero's journey, of course, is that there aren't other heroes - no other leaders who could do the job of Jobs as well.

Too bad, as we say in journalism, that the facts keep getting in the way of a good story. At this point, it's preposterous to hint that Apple is stumbling. In the year since Jobs died, Apple shares have soared nearly 80 percent, giving it a $626 billion market capitalization. That makes Apple the most valuable company of all time, on a pure dollar basis. Last month, advance orders of its newest device, the iPhone 5, surpassed 2 million in 24 hours, more than double its previous record.

Has Apple lost its way?

Answer: No. And stop asking.

"It's just a trite bit of commentary that's really easy to make," said Brian Chen, a New York Times reporter and author of "Always On: How the iPhone Unlocked the Anything-Anytime-Anywhere Future - and Locked Us In." "At the end of the day, Apple was the most successful corporation in the world - and it still is."

The real questions

But if we move past the all-or-nothing analyses, there are some perfectly appropriate questions to ask: Does Apple face new challenges since Steve Jobs died, has it made mistakes and has the company changed?

Answers: Yes, yes and yes.

Nothing so far, however, adds up to anything like a rotting Apple.

The Cupertino company breathed life into the consumer market for smartphones and tablets with the introduction of the iPhone and iPad. They are by far the biggest-selling products in their categories.

But competition is clearly heating up in the mobile or "post-PC" world. Rivals like Google, Samsung and Amazon have delivered certain features first, better or cheaper, including turn-by-turn navigation, voice search and 4G speeds.

At the same time, the tech press and consumers have furiously debated whether Apple's standards for quality or simplicity have slipped. It's become sport to point out the shortcomings of Siri, Apple's easily flummoxed personal digital assistant. Moreover, the egregious errors in the company's just-released Maps app earned it a week of negative headlines, finally forcing CEO Tim Cook to take the rare step of apologizing publicly.

Video: The life and legacy of Steve Jobs

CBS News correspondent John Blackstone takes a look back at the remarkable life and legacy of Apple co-founder and Chairman Steve Jobs, who passed away at the age of 56.

Media: San Francisco Chronicle

But let's put all this into the appropriate context.

First, the mobile market is maturing, so growing competition and slowing progress are inevitable.

Second, it's not as if Apple didn't release flubs under Jobs. Remember MobileMe, Ping and the G4 Cube?

Third, the flaws in Siri and Maps don't reflect new weaknesses in Apple's traditional areas of strength: product design and ease of use. They reflect growing pains as Apple stretches into online services that represent incredibly difficult computational problems, like artificial intelligence and search.

Insufficient data

The particular shortcomings in these products both stem mainly from insufficient data. The best way to build up information is to get the products into the hands of more people, whose use and reactions should steadily improve the services.

Even if Maps is ultimately a colossal failure, drawing a conclusion from it is like drawing a chart from one data point - it doesn't go anywhere yet.

"I think it's too cute or too soon to hold up this mapping fiasco as the example," said Adam Lashinsky, senior editor at large at Fortune and author of "Inside Apple: How America's Most Admired - and Secretive - Company Really Works."

Here's the bigger point, though. Updates of existing devices and whiffs or wins on minor features won't be the test of Apple's continuing greatness. The critical question will be whether Apple continues to introduce revolutionary new products that capture the public's imagination.

And it will simply be some time before we know that.

For one thing, revolutionary new products don't come along that often. Keep in mind that the real leaps forward occurred only a handful of times in Jobs' decades-long Apple career: Apple II, Macintosh, iPod, iPhone and iPad.

Additionally, Apple has a product road map at least two years long, so Jobs probably had a hand in whatever the next big thing may be (the betting money is on a next-generation television).

"It will be another year until we can start drawing some clear inferences in terms of what Apple is like under Tim Cook," Chen said.

Double-edged sword

Ultimately, the biggest challenge to Apple's supremacy might be Apple's supremacy, Lashinsky said. The company is no longer the underdog nipping at Microsoft's heels, getting rooted along by the press and fanboys. Apple's the man now.

History shows that the bigger a company becomes the harder it is to escape the "innovators dilemma." Companies fall into the trap of protecting their cash cows at the expense of betting on disruptive technologies.

Video: "The Lost Interview" with Steve Jobs

A recently discovered copy of a 1995 interview with Steve jobs shows the Apple co-founder before he rejoined the company. Executive producer Robert Cringely speaks about his documentary "Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview."

Media: San Francisco Chronicle

Apple has largely avoided this pitfall. The iPhone might well have killed the iPod, the iPad could undercut Macbook sales. But Apple gambled they'd win more by betting on the future.

Whether it will continue to sacrifice its babies will be a major test of whether the culture has changed.

Apple will never be Tim Cook's company the way it was Steve Jobs'. But he's already begun to put his stamp on the business.

More flexible

Under Cook, Apple seems a little more flexible and a little less arrogant, as evidenced by that mea culpa over Maps. He issued a long-sought cash dividend to investors, pushed for better working conditions in Chinese factories and implemented a corporate charitable donations program.

Apple has become less of a dictatorship than an oligarchy, with power spread more evenly among top execs. And some of the fear that used to imbue the corporate campus has reportedly dissipated.

Will happier employees make better products? Or was Jobs' well-known willingness to berate underlings, take credit for their ideas and find scapegoats for failures a necessary ingredient of Apple's "magic"?

I know what I'd like the answer to be. But I also know it's too early for anyone to say.